Shellac on wood ceiling and walls?
shelternerd
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
I’m working on a barn renovation where we have no sheetrock, all the interior walls are knotty southern yellow pine double beaded 1×6. I was planning on spraying them with Hood Everlast oil based urethane and allowing them to yellow over time but the owner wants to explore using shellac or something that would be more amber to start and would yellow more over time to make it look ancient earlier. He suggested amber shellac. I haven’t worked with it and don’t know if it can be sprayed from an airless sprayer of if I owuld have to use an HVLP or brush it or if there is another finish that would give the antique “Pumpkin pine” look faster.
Any suggestions?
Frenchy?
——————
“You cannot work hard enough to make up for a sloppy estimate.”
Replies
I've sprayed lots of shellac, but never tried in an airless. Can't think why it wouldn't work.
Buy a gallon and find out?
Joe H
I hope Frenchy chimes in too, but I can't see why shellac wouln't work great in this application. Sprays easy in HVLP systems, dries fast and the odor is minimal after a day or so.
I would try a sample piece first to make sure you like the amber color. Go to http://www.homesteadfinishing.com to get the shellac, not the Zinser stuff from home depot (no idea how long it's been on the shelf, it does go bad after 6 months or less)
I spray pigmented BIN shellac all the time with an airless, so guess it could be done, but
I would have a couple of concerns with the clear shellac. One that the pump, hose and gun are completely clean and two that the tip was small enough. the shellac floods pretty easy compared to other finishes. I would want to use a double tip no bigger then .011
I usually prefer a 2 gallon pressure pot for spraying finishes like varnish or shellac, gives me more control
I've sprayed shellac with an HVLP system with no problem.
Did you know that you can clean shellac up with ammonia? If you're cleanng in an area with a pilot light or open flame, I'd suggest using the ammonia. If you're concerned about residue, run some alcohol thru the gun after cleaning. I tend to do that even when I use water to clean up, to get rid of any residual moisture.
I was just wondering if any parts like seals in the equipment might be hurt by either alcohol or ammonia.
What brings this to mind is that I just had to replace the fuel lines in my Husky chainsaw - theoretically because that particular rubber couldn't handle the new alky blend gas
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Spray guns, both airless and air atomized, are made to shoot oil based and lacquer products. Alcohol, by comparison is a quite mild solvent. There is no mention at all in my Wagner user manual of solvents to avoid. I have a cabin at Lake Tahoe that's all knotty pine inside. Orange shellac (called amber nowadays) with varnish over has been fine for 68 years.At the low viscosity of shellac, I think you would have more control with a .009" tip. You may have to brush out some spots if they get flooded and start to run. BruceT
I haven't had any problem but then I've only used the ammonia a couple of times. I haven't sprayed shellac a lot.
And immediately after running the ammonia thru, I ran alcohol or hot water thru the gun to clean everything out, then took the gun apart to finish cleaning it.
I thought I'd throw an alternative to alcohol out there. Plus I think ammonia is cheaper.
for myself, I'll stick with the alcohol. maybe it's my asthma, but I seem to quit breathing when I get a snoot full of ammonia.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Is this already up and installed?
I generally like to do it on a bench at lap level before putting it up with any kind of finish so I get the tongues. I hate it when the wood shrinks just enough to show virgin tongue playing peek-a-boo
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
Project is on ultra hurry up and yep it's installed. At least it's winter and it's heated with a vertical packaged heat pump (Hotel closet type unit) so we can power it up for a while before we shoot it. should be able to shrink it all down pretty good.Thanks to all (Frenchy esp.) for your advice about cut and sources and tips. I think we'll pull it off. It sounds like we'll want to put on a base coat of shellac and a top coat of the oil based urethane? Yes? Thanks again to all who chimed in here. M------------------
"You cannot work hard enough to make up for a sloppy estimate."
If you're gonna cover with poly be sure to use unwaxed shellac.( at least thats the way I was taught. ) Zinsser makes one called Bulls Eye Seal Coat.I believe its a 2lb. cut.
If your interested go to Woodcrafts website they have a bunch of video clips that explain this much better than I could.
dug
Why a top coat?
I don't have any on either my black walnut or my white oak.. shellack is tough.. able to handle all sorts of disasters without a problem. but if something does mess it up all you need to do is wipe off the old shellac with a rag soaked in denatured alcohol and the shellac lifts right off..
NNo messy sanding required! Easiest way in the world to repair because new shellac melts together with old shellac and makes an invisable repair.
I don't know how much color your guy is wanting, but it goes on thin.
You'll need more than one coat to get any kind of color probably. You can't just squirt it thick enough or it will run. It's thin stuff, not like spraying latex.
Joe H
It's how I cover my timbers.
I use a really thin mixture 1# cut in order to eliminate runs.. It also dries really quickly that way.
Frenchythanks for chiming in. I'll be working with my regular painter who is used to working with stuff that comes in a can. So I'll need to educate him and I'm no good on this shellac stuff. At the Homestead site they were talking about four coats. I'm hoping to shoot two or three, do I buy a pre-mixed 2 pound cut and add alcohol for thinner to knock it down to a one pound cut or am I buying flakes and mixing it up like old times? this is a 20 x 30 cabin all wood with a 10 x 20 loft and a small bath etc. I'm looking at about 3,000 SF to be coated. Do you have any advice about where to get info or quantities or best approach to take? thanks for your helpMichael------------------
"You cannot work hard enough to make up for a sloppy estimate."
I like easy and cheap. It's easier and cheaper to buy the bullseye shellac and just add two cans of denatured alcohol than to buy flakes grind them up and melt them in denatured alcohol..
Four coats will work but I'd do 3 coats of my 1 # cut and see if you're happy. you can always add more but let me warn you with shellac too much of a good thing does exist.
Ideally you want as thin a coat as you can accept.. the thicker coats can alligator easier, then you'll have to strip it off and reapply.. (granted that took 70 years on my piano) But Thicker isn't better
I partially agree with eveything said so far.
First, it's very sprayable, even available in spray bombs. As far as tongues showing? They may, but shellac when thinned SOAKS into most woods on the first, enough to help with that issue.
Second, I don't thin as much as Frenchy, I use the gallon of premade, Zinnsers and add a gallon of alcohol for most everything, never felt it needed to thin any more than that.
I never Poly urethane over any shellac deaxed or otherwise, poly urethane is SELF sealing, it is NOT needed to seal first nor desired.
Finally, the newer formulations from Zinnser don't have the short shelf life life issues as in the past, but I still avoid stock from say 2007 ...but 6 mos? It's fine.
My last BIG application ( just like yours, but Cypress) was all brushed on with an Oval Shellac and Varnish brush..about 2" diameter, with 5" long boar hair bristles, suckker holds about a quart, and gets heavy..but it really gets it on without overspray. IIRC it was a 50 $ brush, I still have it 15 yrs later and still use it.
Have at it..it's simple fun and rewarding. Oh, scuff between 2nd and last coat, I think 3 tops, thinned a bit less on each suceeding coat, unlike Frenchy.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
Sphere, Frenchy, Piffin et all Thanks for the help I'll post before and after photos when we get it done (I just got the mass evite the owners sent out for a new years day party at the cabin, guess it'll be done by then!) Michael------------------
"You cannot work hard enough to make up for a sloppy estimate."
will clear shellac yellow over time like oil based poly?
I think that's the point only to start with Amber shellac and let it get deeper and more antique "Pumpkin pine" looking over time. M------------------
"You cannot work hard enough to make up for a sloppy estimate."